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Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Mango-Coconut Pudding

I know Valentine's day is right around the corner, but instead of adding to the plethora of chocolate recipes floating around in cyber-space, I thought I would share a non-caffeinated dessert suitable for little children. This recipe also happens to be in compliance with the Phase 1 guidelines for the Elimination Diet.

This smooth, creamy and slightly sweet pudding is dairy-free. I was inspired by a mango pudding recipe found in the the current issue of Eating Well. This issue has a great article on mangos including photos of how to properly peel and cut a mango. The recipe below is a twist on the Cherry-Apple Pudding recipe found in our cookbook and one found in Eating Well. The secret ingredient? Kudzu! How many of you have heard of or used kudzu before? It has wonderful thickening and gelling properties and is very soothing and healing to the gut.

You can find Kudzu in the bulk spice section at your local health food store. It is quite expensive per pound but you will only need a few tablespoons. It comes in little white powdery chunks and can be tricky to measure sometimes. For the 6 tablespoons needed in this recipe, use a 1/4 cup measure and level off then measure 2 more tablespoons.

Mango-Coconut Pudding

You can use either fresh or frozen mangos in this recipe. You'll need about 5 large, fresh mangos or two 10-ounce frozen bags plus another fresh one for the topping. This recipe makes about six servings. Note: if you are following the Elimination Diet, use non-alcoholic vanilla. Enjoy!

6 tablespoons kudzu

1/2 cup water

4 cups diced fresh mango (or frozen)

1 can coconut milk (1 2/3 cup)

1/4 cup agave nectar or honey

2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping:

diced fresh mango

shredded, unsweetened coconut

Place the kudzu and water in a 3-quart saucepan. Whisk together so that the kudzu dissolves. The kudzu needs to be dissolved before heating so whisk again just before adding the remaining ingredients.

In a blender, add the mango, coconut milk, and sweetener. Blend on high until very smooth and creamy.

Pour into the saucepan with the dissolved kudzu. Turn heat to med-high. Whisk constantly until it boils then reduce heat to low and simmer while whisking for about 6 to 10 minutes. You'll notice the color change from a creamy yellow to an egg-yolk yellow indicating that it is about ready to be removed from the heat. Whisk in vanilla and remove from heat.

Pour or ladle into six small bowls and place into the refrigerator to set. Chill for 1 to 2 hours. Top with diced fresh mango and shredded coconut. Serve and enjoy!Source: www.NourishingMeals.com

As I've said before, I need to start harvesting all that kudzu on some property we have. LOL Gosh, this looks spectacular, Ali. Love the photos. This is another one of your desserts that would be great to make for my support group. :-)

I've been dying to try kudzu since I first learned about it in nutrition school--just haven't gotten around to it yet! The pudding looks great, and makes me crave mango. And I bet the combination with coconut milk is to die for!

these look wonderful - I love kudzu! and mango! and coconut! what a lovely little treat. i was just looking at your coconut milk ice cream recipe, i just bought an ice cream maker and am now figuring out what to do next! :) -Kim

Ali, You must have come up with this last week when the Coop had those gorgeous, huge organic Tommy Atkins mangos on for so cheap! There aren't any this week--cheap or expensive. I have a boat load of peach chunks out in the freezer. I'm going to try it with them. I'll report back.Barb

Irenicineri - I buy my kudzu in the bulk spice section at my health food store. I think Eden Foods also sells some in small packages.

evaline - Vanilla is kept out because of the alcohol, you can use a glycerine extract if you would like or just leave it out. Hope you enjoy! :)

Ariana - I don't ever use gelatin because we have one vegan in the house so I have no idea how to use it. The original recipe from Eating Well uses gelatin so I know it can be done! :)

Anon - I use Native Forest brand organic coconut milk. The only ingredients are coconut, water, guar gum. Guar gum is a soluble fiber from a bean and fairly harmless. :)

Barb - I bet peaches would work or most fruits for that matter. Tom brought home a load of organic mangos about 2 weeks ago and other than eating them I didn't know what to do with them. As I was cleaning up the books and magazines from the floor one evening I spotted the mango article in Eating Well and the rest is history! :) Looking forward to hearing how the peaches work here.

I made this pudding for Valentine's Day and it turned out fabulous. Loved by the whole family! I did use tapioca starch instead of kudzu and it worked out great. We were naming the fruits that could also be substituted (strawberry, banana) a great stock recipe. Thank you!

We are on the elimination diet and wondering if vinegar can be added back in phase 2 with the lemons and limes? It is on the NO EAT list for Phase 1, but is NOT on the NO EAT list for Phase 2. Same thing with mushrooms, which we love. We are ready to start Phase 2 tomorrow, and so far we are all feeling more energetic throughout the day. Plus I've lost a bit of weight which is a bonus!

YES! Your comment inspired me so I threw half the batch into my icecream maker....of course it's probably best eaten right away because it hardens so much in the freezer but I'm sure it will still make a tasty trat later. I bet it would be good with mango chunks mixed in too.

This was so delicious. Tasting the mango (I used frozen!), coconut milk (I used light), and agave nectar mixture from the blender, I realized there's no need for icecream. . Still I made the pudding which was perfect. That night, I soaked some chia seeds in vanilla almond milk and defrosted some frozen cherries and blueberries. Next morning I added these things, plus some toasted pumpkin seeds and more toasted coconut, to the leftover mango pudding for a yummy breakfast!

Hi! First of all I have your cookbook and I love it! Secondly, I would like to try and sub grass-fed gelatin for the kudzu? Do you have a suggestion on how much of the gelatin I would use. I don't think it would be as much as the 6 tablespoons of kudzu...

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This blog was created by Ali and Tom of Whole Life Nutrition. We offer healthy whole foods recipes that happen to be gluten-free. Having 5 children, our focus tends to revolve around raising healthy kids. We also specialize in elimination diets, gluten sensitivity, and celiac disease.